FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 11 , 2007

Health Departments concerned about federal cuts to Public Health Preparedness

The metropolitan public health departments express concern in response to a report by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The report, Federal Funding for Public Health Preparedness: Implications and Ongoing Issues for Local Health Departments, says that continued cuts in funding provided through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) threaten important, hard-won advances made in recent years in response planning to natural disasters, bio-terrorism events, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health emergencies. 

“These cuts present a serious concern to all of us,” states Dr. Leon Vinci, Johnson County Public Health Department Health Director.

Prior to 9/11, metro area health departments could not protect more than one percent of our population with medicines and vaccinations within the first 48 hours.  At the current level of funding they can now protect about one third of the population in that time period. 

“Our ability to continue making significant advances in our preparedness requires reliable and adequate emergency preparedness funding from the federal government,” said Dr. Rex Archer, director of the City of Kansas City, Mo., Health Department and past-president of NACCHO.  “Cutting funds now, before we reach our goal, would leave the majority of our residents and visitors unprotected and would in fact decrease the number of people we can help.”

A PDF version of the full report is available on NACCHO’s web site, http://www.naccho.org/documents/SurveyReport_Final.pdf

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